Thursday, October 02, 2003
S Korea to step up battle against software piracy

South Korea is set to launch an aggressive nationwide campaign against software piracy to
be backed by judicial authority, the Ministry of Information and Communication said
Thursday.

Under the new regulations, the anti-piracy campaign, set to kick-off Oct. 19, will allow
government officials to conduct independent investigations and issue warrants, the
ministry said.

Until now, government officials have been barred from investigating piracy suspects
without police or prosecution input.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Trade Representative's Office asked the Seoul government to
adopt the get-tough measure to curb nationwide software piracy.

With the judicial power, anti-piracy officials will have the right to seize computer
servers and other equipment that violates copyright laws.

However, civil rights lawyers and civic groups have opposed the new measure, claiming it
could give rise to human rights abuses.

Currently, 32 government officials at the ministry's eight local branches are involved in
the crackdown against software bootleggers. The ministry said it would add 30 more
personnel as part of the efforts to combat piracy.

The ministry also said in a statement it will implement educational programs to address
the software piracy problem.